It's Peony Time!

Are peony's blooming yet where you live? They sure are here in Michigan and
I took the opportunity to do a couple photos shoots. I think my camera is on the way
"out", but I am trying to nurse it along and hopefully it will last for awhile yet.

I had to include some AQUA because I think pink and aqua are just meant to be
together!

I think these photos with the books are off color. The flowers look more lavender to me than the true pink,
but they are pretty anyway...that temperamental camera again. OR it could be the photo taker??? 

Every time I notice that a few more flowers are out in full bloom, I run and pick them and stick them all
over the house. I just LOVE peony's! Can you tell?

I am including a couple photos of my old fashioned roses also. The smell from these is just
heavenly! They have been on our property for decades and I have dug up several starts,
plopped them in the ground and they grow wonderful for me. These photos are from starts
that were planted.

Hubby picked these light pink ones for me along the roadside a few days ago.

I had a plant exactly this color , but it didn't survive so I need to find another one.
I think it was called Sarah Bernhardt and my bff gave me a start...hmm...maybe
she has another one. You never know. :)

I love mixing all the shades of pink from very light pink to dark. I would also
like to get some white peony's to plant...someday.

I hope you have a wonderful upcoming weekend. My oldest granddaughter turned 16 yesterday and I
will be going to a masquerade party for her. That should be FUN! The older I get the more I
enjoy doing fun things and I am really looking forward to it. I may not look young, but I can
still party. ha!

Celebrating Pink and Peonies ~

I woke up today to a sink full of beautiful peonies!!

 Hubby kept trying to lure me out of bed this morning by
saying that I better pick my peonies before it rained and I just kept laying in bed. When I finally
decided to get up and plodded to the kitchen my eyes lit up when I saw these beauties!!  He had
gone to our local town {3 miles away} and picked these on the way home. {they were in a ditch of all
places!} How does that happen! Not by a house, but just growing in the ditch. We saw them last
 night, but didn't stop. I whined around a bit when we got home for him to go and pick me some,
 but I told him he didn't have to. I was tired and so was he!  HA!

I had forgotten all about them!! SO... I was thrilled when I saw
 these this morning. {along with a maple frosted cinnamon roll with nuts on top}

{He picked the ones in the large white vase and the others are from our bushes here}

Who wouldn't be thrilled to wake up to these beauties??!!

This is a table on my front porch. Sorry for the "slant" of the pic!

I have fun moving things around all summer long out here.  I need to put something
in that birdcage yet, but not sure what. Maybe some ivy...I do have some that I
haven't planted yet.

I just noticed I haven't gotten rid of the pinecones from over the winter!
Guess I better get right on that. :)

I took photos of peonies inside and outside and every which way while they still look nice.

I love them on my pallet tray, don't you?

In my humble opinion I think everyone should have peonies growing in their garden.
They don't last long, but they are so worth the show they put on for a brief time.
I love them!

Happy JUNE everyone!

The experiment on my kitchen wall...

...turned out great and I am very happy with the results!

One night laying in bed with my mind going a million miles an hour {as usual} this idea popped into my head. Don't have a clue from whence it came, but at any rate it came and it was there to stay. This is my french style script wall...I love how it turned out. What do you think?? I tried to take pics along the way {some are not very good at all} so I can share the tutorial with you.  Hopefully I can do that soon.

I wanted a statement wall that wasn't like all the others in the room and I think I achieved that look. :)

Still loving it...:)

I found this lone peony yesterday on one of my bushes. It was the only flower this year I think so I picked her, named her "Luscious" and brought her inside for a photo shoot.

I added some old bottles around her and start snapping away.

These photos are probably kind of redundant, but I think they vary a tad bit. lol

I really need to learn how to concentrate on all the little details when taking my photos. You can't even tell that the number on the peony jar is *82*. Working on that in my head. :)

Please do tell me what you think of the wall. The picture isn't the whole wall because there is above the window yet off to the right and then down the other side, but I got it all done!! YAY!! A labor of love I will say and I sure love it. Will be working on window treatment next and not totally sure of that so keep tuned for further updates. {lol}
Happy weekend!!

{still LOVING my high speed!!}

Peonies...love/hate relationship

A big hello from Michigan to all my blogland friends!! I just want you to know that I am back up and running on a new computer!  It will take me awhile to get things all in place , but I am figuring it out as I go. I asked hubby to install my two favorite photo programs so I can at least do my photos and he was kind enough to do so. Between a new computer and my newly installed high speed, I think I have died and gone to heaven....seriously!! lol

I love peonies and I know that many of you do also, but my peony plants are not doing so well as of late, so I am in a love/hate relationship with them. I am lucky to have two or three blooms on a bush!! I don't know if it takes a few years for them to produce many flowers or what, but I am getting very impatient.  I am praying they do produce many more flowers in the years to come. Three peony bushes were planted on the property when we moved here over 32 years ago and they are still here , but they are way down at the other end of our land and sadly have been pretty neglected. {weeds grow up around etc.} I asked hubby last year and this year if he could at least just mow around them so I could have their blossoms in my home. He has obliged so I am hoping that they will start producing like they used to. I would move them, but I am scared that I would kill them. What do you think? Have any of you had experience moving peonies? I think they are pretty touchy, but maybe not ??   Any help would be appreciated. :)

I need to get busy now and get something else accomplished today. My kitchen is still in limbo. The wallpaper is not all hung and that means there is stuff all out of place and a ladder sitting right in the middle of the room, but I am hoping to get it done this week...or mostly done...or maybe dream of getting it done?? *smile*

Oh the joys of redecorating...:)

until next time ~

Roses and peonies

Before we get to the roses and peonies I have a

question. Is it time to change my blog header? I still love it, but I also have noticed that so many

other people change theirs up quite often and I

don't want to end up having a boring blog that no one

wants to visit...so is it time for a change?? Please let me know what you think. :)

{with that being said I just purchased calling cards

that has my current blog header on them}

This is my one and only peony bloom of the whole season

so I had to get some mileage out of her.

The pictures are kinda out of order as this one

was taken when she was "on her way out" and

her petals were starting to droop.

Peony in blue glass with plain background

and peony in a vignette

Also, my beautiful old fashioned roses in

different settings. How do you like the contrast

of the china bowl and rust?

In a small pitcher close up

Or in a wooden box out on the deck

If you could smell this fragrance you would

want to bottle it and keep it forever.

Yes, they smell that good!

I wanted to take a break today from all the

french pretties and show you some of my flowers

so I hope you enjoyed them.

Blessings~

So thankful for my *quiet followers*

I just want to take this opportunity to thank all of

you who take time out of your busy day to check out

my blog and see what I am up to.

*Karen* recently sent me an email and told me that

she is one of my *quiet followers*...

she thought that sounded much nicer than

a *lurker*.

I agree and just had to say thank you to everyone

who reads my ramblings. Somedays they probably

aren't worth reading, but you still hang in there with me

and I am so grateful!

In light of now having passed 300 followers stay tuned

for a giveaway coming up soon! I have to figure out

what I am going to offer first. lol.

Blessed and oh so thankful to have you in my blog life!